


Victims of Circumstance

by SunriseRose1023



Series: When You Come Back To Me Again [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Blood and Injury, Brain Surgery, Coma, F/M, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Serious Injuries, Surgery, Survivor Guilt, blunt force trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 04:32:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18542341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunriseRose1023/pseuds/SunriseRose1023
Summary: The aftermath of your attempted rescue turns out far worse than anyone ever imagined, and your father takes it upon himself to punish those he deems responsible for your condition.





	Victims of Circumstance

You turned from the stove, a wide smile on your face. 

“Hey, there you are.”

Steve smiled, holding out his arms. You laughed, then walked to him, putting your face in his chest as he wrapped his arms around you. After a moment, you pulled back just enough to kiss him, laying a hand against his smoothly-shaven cheek. You smiled up at him when he looked down at you, a soft smile playing on his lips. 

“Are you hungry?”

Steve gave you a look that had you laughing softly. 

“I’m always hungry. Super soldier metabolism, remember?”

You nodded, stepping out of his embrace and walking back to the stove. 

“I made twice-baked potatoes.”  
“Ooh.”  
“To go along with the steaks I’m really hoping a cute boy will throw on the grill for me.”  
“Oh, who’s coming over?”

You laughed, pushing Steve’s shoulder as he laughed with you. He nodded, walking to the refrigerator and opening it as ear-piercing beeps filled the room. 

_ “Blunt force trauma to the chest and abdomen—“ _

You whirled around, eyes scanning the room. 

_ “No time. We’ve got to— we’re losing her!” _

You looked up, meeting Steve’s worried eyes. His hands were around your arms, having just given you a shake hard enough to snap you back to reality. You blinked, shaking your head. 

“Wh—what?”  
“I asked if you were alright. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”  
“No, I …”

You shook your head, glancing around, then looking up at him. 

“Did you hear something?”  
“Like what?”

You shook your head again, stepping back from him. He let his hands fall and you turned your back to him, eyes scanning the room. You swallowed, shaking your head. 

“I thought I heard …”

You lifted a hand to your forehead. 

“Babe? Are you okay?”  
“Just a … little bit of a headache.”  
“Is that all?”

You lifted your head, turning to him. 

“What?”

Steve gave you a smile. 

“I just … want to make sure my girl’s okay. Just a headache? Nothing else?”

You tilted your head at him. 

“No, that’s … that’s it.”

Steve gave you a smile, leaning in and pressing his lips to your cheek. 

“Let me go throw these steaks on the grill. I’ll be right back.”

You nodded, watching him walk away, as always taken with his incredible shoulder-to-waist ratio. You shook your head, laying a hand to your chest, wincing at the soreness there. 

“What the hell?”

You pulled your hand back, turning it over, inspecting it carefully. You closed your eyes, giving a shake of your head. 

“I’m going crazy. Everything’s fine.”

You stepped back to the stove, grabbing the pepper grinder and adding some to the pot. You picked up the spoon to stir the soup, dropping it with a gasp as something sharp pricked the back of your hand. You stepped back from the stove, holding that hand in your other one, lifting it close to your eyes to study it. 

“Okay, grill’s on, steaks are … what happened?”

Steve walked over, taking your hand in his and looking at it carefully, the same way you had been. You shook your head. 

“I don’t … I don’t know. I was going to stir the soup and it … it felt like a needle poking my hand.”

Steve turned your hand over and studied your palm, then inspected the back of it. 

“Honey, I don’t see anything.”

You pulled your hand away from him and shook your head. 

“I don’t know what’s going on here, Steve.”  
“What do you mean?”

You shook your head. 

“I don’t … I don’t know.”

Tears filled your eyes and you closed them, flinching when you heard those ear-piercing beeps again. You gasped, trying to curl in on yourself, eyes flashing open when Steve gave your body another hard shake. You met his eyes. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?”  
“What? Steve, what are you—“  
“Your head.”

You met his eyes, shaking your head. 

“What?”  
“You said you had a headache.”  
“I do, and it’s getting worse.”  
“What else?”

You pulled away from him, taking a step backwards. 

“Why do you want something else to be wrong with me?”  
“What? I—Y/N.”

He lifted his massive shoulders, letting them fall again. 

“I don’t want anything to be wrong with you. You know that. I’ve told you before, I don’t think I’d make it if something happened to you.”

You sighed, walking over to him and wrapping your arms around him. 

“I know.”

He kissed your temple and you closed your eyes, body suddenly feeling heavy. 

“Steve? I …”

You leaned into him, not bothering to worry if he could hold you or not. He’d never let anything happen to you. 

You blinked your eyes open. 

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”

Steve gave a heavy sigh. 

“Yeah, it is.”  
“What happened?”  
“You tell me.”

You shook your head. 

“I don’t …”

You gave a soft moan, turning your face into his chest.

“Come on, honey. Talk to me before you go.”

You forced your heavy eyes open. 

“Go? Where am I going?”  
“What happened, babe?”

You shook your head, moaning as various aches and pains in your body made themselves known. 

“Steve?”  
“I love you. Always remember that. No matter what happens, I love you and I always will.”  
“Don’t leave me.”

You sucked in a breath, body giving a painful jolt, eyes flashing open. You were alone in a room, a familiar, cold, dusty room. You looked around, then glanced down, at the heavy object in your hands. 

Captain America's shield. 

You took in a painful breath, dropping the shield as blood began to pour from your mouth. You looked down to see your clothes dirty and torn, lacerations to your chest and stomach open and bleeding, soaking your clothes. You coughed, falling to your knees, body trembling…

And then it was still.

 

 

“What do we got?”  
“Female, late twenties. Blunt force trauma to the chest and abdomen. Pulse is weak and thready. She’s coded twice since we got her, maybe more.”

With one look at the stretcher being wheeled in, the woman in the white lab coat nodded as she stripped it off. 

“Call CT and tell them we’re not going to make it. She needs to go up to surgery right now.”

There was a flurry of somewhat chaotic, yet organized activity. The doctor pushed her dark hair into a bun, nodding to one of the nurses who jogged up beside her. 

“Get every available body we have up to the O.R. This is all hands on deck. Let’s go, people!”

As the doors opened, a team of people began pushing the stretcher down the hall. 

“Helen.”

The doctor stopped and turned back, shaking her head as she met Tony Stark’s eyes. 

“I need to go.”  
“Just—“  
“Stay here. I’ll update you when I can.”  
“Dr. Cho.”

She turned her gaze to the man beside Tony, the one who carried the weight of the country on his shoulders, the man who could hardly stand on his own now. Helen’s eyes softened, and the man swallowed before he spoke. 

“Please … you have to save her.”

Helen gave a shaky nod. 

“I’ll do everything I can, Captain.”  
“Dr. Cho, they’re ready.”

Helen nodded, turning her back to the Avengers as she hurried down the corridor. They stood there without moving for long minutes, until Natasha swallowed and stepped forward. 

“Sam, we’ll … we’ll get someone to look at your arm. Wanda, how’s your head?”

Wanda lifted a hand to the back of her head, pulling it back and nodding when she saw no blood. Natasha continued moving, speaking softly when she got to Tony. 

“We, uh … we should probably clean up a bit.”

Everyone looked down, seeing Y/N’s blood soaked into their clothing. Natasha closed her eyes and Tony gripped one of her shoulders before turning to Steve. 

“Come on, Cap. We need to—“  
“What if I never see her again?”

Everyone went still at that. Steve shook his head, staring down the hallway where the stretcher had disappeared, one tear slowly sliding down his cheek. Tony swallowed, moving a hand to Steve’s shoulder. 

“Come on. Let’s clean up a bit, okay?”

Steve looked down at his hands, blood caked and dried there, flashing back to the way it felt to have his hands pushing on her chest, forcing her heart to pump. 

_ “Come on, baby. Don’t do this. Don’t leave me. Please, Y/N. Hang on.” _

Steve closed his eyes, hanging his head as Tony led him down the hall to a restroom. Inside, he took hold of the sink, gripping it tightly and hanging his head. 

“Easy, easy. Don’t rip that thing out of the wall.”

Steve let go, going to put his head in his hands, but stopping when Tony grabbed his forearms. 

“Wash the blood off. Come on, do it.”

Steve felt like a robot, moving mechanically to do as Tony said. He’d never done well at taking orders, least of all from Tony, but this … he licked his lips and tried to ignore the stinging of his eyes as he began to lather soap in his hands, attempting to remove the blood staining his skin. 

“Ooh, whoa there.”

Steve lifted his head, seeing the worry in Tony’s furrowed brows. 

“What?”  
“Did Rumlow have a knife?”

Steve shrugged his shoulders, only then noticing the tightness in his bicep. He glanced down, seeing a gash on his arm that was sluggishly bleeding, following the path his blood had previously made down his arm. Tony sighed, grabbing a paper towel from the dispenser and pressing it against Steve’s arm. 

“At least  _ all _ of this wasn’t hers.”

Steve closed his eyes, moving to lean against the wall as Tony followed, keeping pressure on his arm. 

 

Natasha glanced up from her spot at Sam’s bedside, standing to her feet when she saw Tony at the door. She walked to him and he sighed before he spoke softly. 

“Rhodey’s going to pick Betty up and bring her here. The General is headed to Senegal, but they’re going to turn the plane around. Or … send him back when it lands. I don’t know.”

Natasha nodded, glancing over her shoulder at Sam’s sleeping form. 

“It was a clean break through the radius and the ulna. They reset it and he’s going to have a cast for probably six weeks. And he’ll be sleeping for a good few hours, with all the medication they had to give him in order to sedate him.”

Tony smiled at that, glancing to the floor, where Steve and Wanda were sitting in one of the corners, both of them staring at their hands. Natasha nodded again, voice low. 

“Wanda’s got a concussion. Steve won’t let anyone look at him, but he doesn’t really need it, with the serum.”

Tony nodded, glancing down the hall. Natasha raised an eyebrow then touched his arm. 

“Come sit with us.”

Tony shook his head, stepping out of her reach. 

“Tony?”  
“I need to be doing something.”

Natasha sighed. 

“There’s nothing we can do right now.”

Tony dragged a hand down his face, giving a soft groan. He shook his head and looked down the hall again, stopping and going still. Natasha narrowed her eyes as she looked at him, then stepped out of the room and looked down the hall. She blinked, mouth opening slightly when the tall woman with strawberry blonde hair stopped in front of them. Natasha flicked her eyes to Tony, then slowly backed into Sam’s room. 

Tony blinked a few times, giving a shake of his head. 

“What are you doing here?”

Pepper shifted her purse onto her shoulder. 

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. called me.”

Tony blinked again and Pepper sighed. 

“Stop looking at me like I’ll disappear.”  
“I just …”  
“What happened?”

Tony took her into his arms, putting his face in her shoulder. Pepper took in a breath, then closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him. 

 

 

It was the middle of the night when Rhodey and Betty came running into the hospital. Tony raised an eyebrow at his friend, who shook his head. 

“I couldn’t find her. When I did, she—“  
“What the hell happened?!”

Tony held up his hands as Pepper stepped up behind him. 

“Miss Ross, we—“  
“Don’t call me ‘Miss Ross.’ What the hell happened? You were supposed to rescue her, not put her in the hospital!”  
“Mr. Stark?”

Tony and Betty turned to the woman that came walking down the hall, green surgery scrubs on, hair hidden beneath a cap. Tony nodded at her and she stopped before him. 

“Have you been able to locate any of Miss Ross’ family?”

Betty blinked, stepping in front of Tony. 

“Me. I’m—I’m Betty Ross. Y/N’s sister.”

The woman nodded. 

“Miss Ross, I’ve been in on your sister’s surgery.”  
“Surgery?”

The woman looked to Tony, who sighed. 

“Miss Ross just got here. We haven’t been able to fill her in quite yet.”

The woman slowly nodded, then turned back to face Betty. 

“Miss Ross, your sister’s injuries are quite severe.”  
“How … how do you mean?”

The woman pressed her lips together. 

“Can we sit down?”

Betty shook her head. 

“Just … just tell me.”

The woman sighed. 

“Your sister has suffered severe blunt force trauma to her chest and abdomen. Both of her lungs collapsed, but we inserted bilateral chest tubes. Two vertebrae in her back are broken, but her spinal cord appears to be intact. She has a grade three laceration to her liver, but we were able to repair that. Her pelvis is also broken. One of her kidneys is fine, but the other abrupted. We’re trying to save it now.”

Betty blinked, shaking her head. 

“No, she … no.”  
“I’m very sorry, but I need to get back to the surgery. We’ll update you as soon as we can.”

The woman turned and walked away, and Betty stared after her. Tony slowly moved to stand in front of Betty, and she shook her head as she looked up at him. 

“What … what happened?”  
“It was my fault.”

Tony sighed as Steve stepped into the waiting room. He moved in front of him, between Steve and Betty, and Tony spoke under his breath. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Steve gently pushed Tony aside and walked to Betty. She shook her head again, blue eyes brimming with tears when they met his. 

“What do you mean it’s your fault?”

Steve swallowed, staring at the ground before looking up again. 

“I … my shield … I—“

Tony huffed a breath, shaking his head. 

“It was an accident.”  
“If I hadn’t thrown it—“  
“You threw your shield at her?”

Tony and Steve looked to Betty, and they all turned at the soft clearing of a throat. Wanda stepped into the waiting room, a butterfly bandage on a cut near her right eyebrow. She made her way to Betty and stopped in front of her, a soft, sad smile on her face. 

“I can show you, if you’d like.”

Betty frowned, looking to Tony, who gave her a nod. Betty swallowed, then nodded. Wanda held out her hands, palms up, and Betty reached her shaking hands out, resting her palms on Wanda’s. 

Betty sucked in a breath when she saw the warehouse, her sister barely able to stand as a man with a horribly disfigured face held her up. She heard the pain in Steve’s voice as he begged the man to let her go and take him instead. Betty flinched when everything seemed to happen at once, with Iron Man blasting in, Wanda and Vision flying forward. All of that faded away as Betty focused on Y/N, watching Steve reach behind him and take hold of the shield, the man holding Y/N pushing her forward at the last second, just as Steve let go of the shield.

Betty let go of Wanda’s hands when the vision shifted to Steve rushing to cradle Y/N’s limp body, tears cascading down his face as Tony landed beside him, hands flying to check a pulse. Natasha ran and slid beside them, moving the shield, deep cuts left behind beginning to bleed profusely. 

Betty shook her head, shaking her hands out, turning to Steve. 

“It was an accident.”  
“It was my fault.”

She shook her head, walking to him and laying a hand on his arm. He turned his head to look at her, one tear dripping from his blue eye down his cheek. Betty gave him a watery smile as tears slid down her own cheeks. 

“The way she spoke about you … you’d never have hurt her on purpose.”  
“If I hadn’t thrown the shield—“  
“Don’t. You couldn’t know.”

Steve hung his head and Betty moved to hug him. 

“You can’t blame yourself.”

Steve looped his arms around her, holding tightly. 

“But I do.”

Betty sighed, shaking her head, moving a hand to hold the back of Steve’s head. 

 

 

Tony lifted his head, blinking widely as he started to wake. Pepper was asleep on his shoulder, and Tony yawned as he stretched as much as he could without disturbing Pepper. He glanced across the room, seeing Steve in a chair, head bowed, hands folded. Betty was beside him, arms crossed over her chest, staring into space. 

Tony started to get up, stopping when Steve lifted his head, then jumped to his feet. Tony gently patted Pepper’s shoulder until she woke, and the two of them stood up, following Betty, who was right behind Steve. 

Dr. Helen Cho came walking down the hall, hands in her lab coat until she reached them. She took a deep breath, then met Betty’s eyes. 

“She’s stable.”

Betty laid a hand on Steve’s shoulder, tears filling her eyes as he gave a deep exhale. Tony closed his eyes as he breathed a breath of relief, lifting a hand to cover the one Pepper laid on his chest. 

“We were able to repair many of her injuries. We were unable to save one of her kidneys, but the other is functioning beautifully. The main worry now is infection, but with the injury to her spinal column, she needs to remain still. Therefore, we’ve put her into a medically induced coma.”

Betty sucked in a breath as Helen continued. 

“It’s for the best right now. Her body needs a chance to rest and heal.”  
“Can we see her?”

Helen looked to Steve and gave him a soft smile. 

“I’m sorry, she’s in the ICU. Only family is allowed to see her, and only one at a time.”

Steve slowly nodded, head bowing again. Betty gave a shaky sigh, moving a hand to rest against his back. 

“Steve will go first. I’ll see her when he’s done.”

Steve turned to Betty, who blinked and forced a smile before turning away, the hope in his eyes almost too much for her to bear. He bent and pressed a kiss to her cheek, following Helen down the hall. 

Betty gave a shaky breath, not turning when a hand came to rest on her shoulder. 

“That was very nice of you.”

Betty smiled as she looked to Pepper, lifting her shoulders and letting them fall. 

“He deserves to see her, to talk to her. I can wait.”

Pepper laid her arm over Betty’s shoulders, leading her back to the chairs. 

 

 

Helen stopped outside of a set of double doors, turning to face Steve. 

“She is hooked up to a lot of machines, Captain. She’s got a tube down her throat and a machine is helping her breathe.”

Steve nodded, swallowing before he spoke. 

“She’s in a—a coma, you said?”  
“Yes, but it’s very possible that she may be able to hear you. Feel free to talk to her, to hold her hand.”

Steve swallowed, glancing at the doors behind Helen. 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you stay very long.”

Steve nodded, lifting his head, brows furrowing at the yellow paper gown Helen held out. 

“Just a precaution.”

Steve nodded, sliding his arms through the sleeves and tying the gown around his neck and waist. He accepted the gloves Helen offered, slipping them onto his hands. He took a breath, then bent to let Helen tie a mask onto his face. He cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders as Helen pushed a button, the doors sliding open. 

Steve stepped through the doors and sucked in a breath, swallowing on a suddenly dry mouth. 

“Oh God.”

Helen nodded, gently patting his shoulder before pressing a button and closing the doors again as she left. Steve blinked back the tears that were threatening and walked to the chair beside the bed. 

Your eyes were closed, lashes seeming so dark against your pale skin. Deep bruises were around your eyes, coloring your cheekbones and chin, the superficial cuts and wounds on your face cleaned and bandaged. You were covered with a few blankets that were pulled up to your chest, arms resting on top of the blankets. Steve sat down, hands shaking as he reached to take your hand. 

“Hey, beautiful.”

Steve couldn’t take his eyes from your face. He shook his head, blinking as the tears slid down his cheeks. 

“I’m so sorry. Oh god, baby, I’m so, so sorry. I wish it was me in this bed instead of you. If I could take your place …”

Steve sniffed, shaking his head. He lifted your hand to his cheek, closing his eyes at the smooth warmth of your skin. He smiled, looking back to your face. 

“You were right, sweetheart. That hand lotion really works."

Steve laid his head on your bed, sobbing as he clung to your hand. 

 

 

“I’m so sorry this happened.”

Steve gently rubbed your hand between both of his. 

“I never …”

He blew out a breath, shaking his head. He lifted his eyes to your face and couldn’t help but smile. 

“I love you so much. Do you know that? Do you know how desperately, hopelessly in love with you I am?”

Steve shook his head, tears gathering in his eyes again. 

“I didn’t tell you enough. I should have … smothered you with it. But you never …”

He sniffled, holding your hand tightly. 

“You never asked me for anything. You were just there. And I spent so much time trying to keep you secret, to keep you safe that I guess I let my guard down.”

Steve shook his head, lifting his eyes to you again. 

“Never again. I will spend every waking moment for the rest of my life holding you in my arms and keeping you close.” 

He let out a soft laugh. 

“You’re going to get so sick of me.”

Steve gave your hand a gentle squeeze. 

“I mean it, sweetheart. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. I love you, and I’m going to make sure you know it from here on out.”

He swallowed, leaning even closer, lifting your hand to his cheek again. 

“I’ll give up the Avengers. Tony can have it. You are more important to me than saving the world will ever be.”

Steve shook his head, leaning forward and resting his forehead on yours. 

“I’d let it all burn for you.”

His head shot up when ear-piercing alarms began blaring, and he held tight to your hand as he got to his feet when people rushed into the room. 

“What’s happening?”

The people in the room ignored him, voices overlapping as they spoke to each other. 

“Her heart rate’s dropping.”  
“Yeah, but her pressure’s rising.”  
“Oh crap.”

A nurse pulled a pen light out of his pocket, using one hand to pull open your eyelids one at a time as he shined the light in your eyes. The nurse shook his head, speaking to the nurse standing across the bed. 

“Page neuro. She needs to go to the O.R.  _ now _ .”  
“What’s happening?”

The nurse spoke as he began quickly unplugging some of the machines, taking the bags from the poles beside your bed and placing them on the bed with you. 

“Her brain is swelling. We need to get her to the operating room and relieve the pressure.”

Steve shook his head. 

“What does … what does that—“  
“I’m sorry, sir. We don’t have time to explain.”

Steve reached up and yanked the mask off his face, leaning down where he was face-to-face with you. 

“You fight, do you hear me? Do not give up. You come back to me. I love you. Y/N, I love you. Stay with me.”  
“Captain Rogers, we have to go now.”

Steve pressed his lips to yours and stepped back. The nurses grabbed hold of the side rails on your bed and began wheeling you from the room. Steve followed them out into the hall, watching them begin to run as a different nurse came and stood beside him. 

“Is there anything I can do?”

Steve shook his head. 

“Her sister … she didn’t get to …”

Steve swallowed and the nurse laid a gentle hand on his arm. 

“If they don’t get her to the O.R. right now, she may never get the chance.”

Steve closed his eyes, turning and resting his head against the wall, sinking down to his knees when the tears that had been threatening finally spilled over. 

 

 

Steve slowly made his way down the hall to the room where Tony, Pepper, and Betty were waiting. He didn’t know what to tell them, how to say that there was still a good chance they could lose you. 

He blinked away the tears that threatened, hanging his head as he put his hands on his hips and blew out a deep breath. He straightened his shoulders and walked into the room, sucking in a breath when he was suddenly forcefully pressed against the wall, a pissed-off former General-turned-Secretary of State in his face. 

“What the absolute  _ fuck _ is wrong with you? My daughter?!”  
“Dad, stop it!”  
“That’s my  _ daughter _ , Rogers!  _ My daughter!  _ She’s in here because of  _ you _ _!_ ”  
“General, stop!”

Steve didn’t try to fight back. Rhodey, Tony, and two of the secret service agents with Thaddeus had to pull him back, and Betty ran to Steve, stopping when he held a hand up. Thaddeus rolled his shoulders, taking a breath and nodding to the men. They took steps back, and Thaddeus smoothed a hand down his jacket before he turned to face Steve again. Steve exhaled, then lifted his head. 

“General, I—“

Steve’s head snapped to the side when Thaddeus’ fist made contact with his jaw. Betty gasped, a hand moving to cover her mouth. Pepper’s eyes were wide as Tony subtly moved to stand in front of her. Thaddeus shook out his hand, then turned to face Steve. 

“If she dies, it’s on you. Super soldier or not, I swear to God, Rogers, I will  _bury _ you.”

Steve didn’t respond, and Tony closed in eyes in relief of that. Steve looked to Betty, who tilted her head when she saw the look on Steve’s face. 

“What?”

Steve closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath. He shook his head, then spoke. 

“I don’t … I don’t know what happened. She was fine, and then these … alarms began blaring.”  
“What happened?”

Steve shook his head at Tony. 

“They took her back to the operating room. They said the … the pressure in her brain … they needed to release it? I don’t know.”

Steve shook his head again, looking down. Betty lifted a hand to her lips, tears welling in her eyes. Thaddeus ran a hand down his face, then turned to the secret service agents. 

“Arrest him. All of them.”

Everyone turned to look at Thaddeus and he shook his head. 

“Any …”

He spit out the word as he sneered at Steve and Tony. 

“ _Avenger _ you see, bring them into custody.”  
“Mr. Secretary—“

Thaddeus turned to Rhodey, eyes blazing. 

“Colonel Rhodes, I suggest you keep your mouth shut.”

Tony stepped forward, holding his hands up.

“General, please.”

Thaddeus turned to him, stepping up in front of him, ignoring the way Pepper grabbed Tony’s shoulder and held him back. Thaddeus looked down his nose at Tony, a look of disgust curling his lips. 

“You should be glad that’s all we’re doing, Stark.”

The men stepped towards Steve, who shook his head as he took a step back. 

“I’m not going anywhere.”  
“Rogers, you—“  
“Not until she wakes up. I’m not leaving her.”  
“You’re not stepping another foot inside her room.”  
“Dad, please.”

Thaddeus looked to Betty, who shook her head and grasped his arm. 

“ _ I  _ called them. I went to them when I noticed she was missing. They’re here, Y/N is here because of  _ me _ .”

Thaddeus sighed. 

“I know what you were trying to do, but you went about it wrong.”  
“Dad, those men would have killed her if—“  
“What, the Avengers hadn’t gotten to her first?”

Tony closed his eyes, hanging his head as Pepper gently rubbed his back. Thaddeus shook his head. He looked to the agents with him and nodded, and they stepped forward. Tony took a step back, raising his hands, shaking his head. Steve gave a hard shake of his head, looking over to Thaddeus. 

“I’m not leaving her.”  
“You don’t have a choice, Rogers.”

An agent stepped forward and reached out for Steve, but the one who stepped behind him and tried to wrestle his hands behind his back soon found himself unconscious and bleeding on the ground. Thaddeus shook his head. 

“Resisting, Captain?”  
“I’m not leaving her.  _ Sir _ .”

Thaddeus ground his teeth together, shaking his head. Betty laid a hand against his chest. 

“He didn’t do it on purpose. Dad, he’d never do anything to hurt her. He lov—“  
“Elizabeth, I suggest you stop talking  _ right now _ .”

Betty sank into a chair as Thaddeus turned to the remaining agent with him and whispered softly. The agent nodded and left the room, passing Helen Cho as she stepped into the room, removing the scrub cap from her head. Steve stepped forward and Betty made her way to the doctor, laying a hand on Steve’s shoulder. 

“My sister, what … what happened?”

Helen sighed. 

“Y/N’s brain began to swell. We had to release the pressure of her brain against her skull, and it had to be done in a timely fashion.”  
“But you … you did it, right? She’s okay?”

Helen sighed. 

“She’s still in surgery, but … there was a complication.”  
“What kind of complication?”

Helen looked to Steve and shook her head. 

“I’m not sure. Brain surgery is not my specialty.”  
“Then get someone here whose specialty it is.”

Helen stood straighter when she saw the Secretary, heard his growled words. Helen looked to Tony, who looked down and gave a shake of his head and Helen exhaled. 

“We’ve got surgeons on staff that are taking good care of her.”  
“But?”

All eyes turned to Tony, who shook his head again as he raised it. 

“You wouldn’t be in here telling us all this if there wasn’t something wrong.”

Betty’s blue eyes were wide when she looked back to Helen. Helen sighed, then spoke again. 

“They’ve done what they can to release the pressure in her brain. They … had to drill holes into her skull.”

Betty lifted a hand to her lips as Steve closed his eyes. Helen shook her head.

“The pressure went down some, but not enough. Not the way it should have. They’re running tests, but ...”

Helen shook her head as Betty lifted a hand to her lips. Steve swallowed, holding a hand towards Helen. 

“She’s going to be alright, isn’t she?”  
“Captain … I can’t answer that.”

Steve’s eyes pleaded with Helen to say something, anything but those words. She gave him a gentle smile. 

“I’m so very sorry, but she may never wake up.”

Betty lowered her face into her hands and sobbed. Helen gently touched Betty’s arm, tears filling her eyes when she watched Steve sink into a chair, one hand covering his mouth, as tears dripped down his cheeks. Tony went to grip Steve’s shoulder and Helen left the room. 

Thaddeus stepped forward, rubbing his mouth with a hand, shaking his head. He met the eyes of the guard at the door and nodded, and the room was suddenly filled with law enforcement. Tony ground his teeth together, but turned to kiss Pepper before linking his hands behind his back and allowing handcuffs to be placed around his wrists. Steve was wrestled to his feet, not putting up a fight as his arms were wrenched behind his back, tight cuffs biting into his skin as he was dragged out of the room. A struggle could be heard across the hall, seconds before an unconscious Natasha was carried from the room. Wanda’s frantic eyes caught Tony’s, and a gentle nod of his head somewhat eased her as men led her down the hall. A still-groggy Sam was pushed from the room in a wheelchair, one arm in a cast and sling, the other handcuffed to the chair. 

Pepper put an arm around Betty’s shoulders as they followed the crowd, stopping at the doorway of the ER, watching the Avengers as they were loaded into a prison van. 

“They don’t … they don’t deserve this.”  
“I know.”  
“I can’t …”

Betty shook her head, watching her father brush past her, climbing into an SUV that pulled away from the hospital before the van. Betty gave a strangled sound, tears still leaking down her cheeks as she turned to Pepper. 

“You have to help them.”

Pepper blew out a breath, shaking her head. 

“I can’t go against the Secretary.”  
“Neither can I. But … Pepper, he …”

Betty swallowed. 

“He loves me. I know that he does, because he’s my dad. But Y/N … she’s his baby. She looks so much like our mom, and she’s the only thing he has left of her. He … I don’t know what he’ll do to them.”

Pepper met Betty’s eyes, giving a shaky exhale as she watched the van pull away. Betty choked back a sob. 

“I can’t help but think that this … this may have been the last time Steve ever sees her.”

 

 

In the wee hours of the morning, you were moved into an intensive care unit, one so intense that Betty was only allowed to visit for thirty minutes every few hours. She didn’t leave the hospital, and when you were taken back into surgery the next day, she found herself pacing the waiting room. 

No one would answer her call. Pepper had turned off her phone, and Thaddeus’ went straight to a message that said his voice mailbox was full. Betty didn’t know what was happening to the Avengers, but that was down on her list of things that were important. You were the top of the list, and her heart ached every time she picked up her phone to text you before remembering what had happened. 

“They take forever, you know.”

Betty turned to the man who had spoken, sitting across the room, almost back in the corner. He was wearing glasses and reading the paper, white hair on his head. He didn’t look up from his paper, simply turned the page, and Betty sighed as she ran a hand across her forehead. 

“I just … I’m worried about my sister.”  
“I know the feeling. My wife’s back there, too. But we’ve been through this before. Try not to let your nerves get the best of you, and try not to think too hard about it. Most of all, don’t get in a hurry. You’ve got some time to waste.”

Betty smiled. 

“Thank you.”

He nodded, giving her a smile before going back to his paper. Betty glanced towards the television, eyes widening as she read the banner at the bottom of the screen, then rushing over to turn it up. Tony Stark was on the screen, and Betty’s hand went to cover her mouth as she listened to the words he was saying. 

_ “I, along with the rest of the Avengers, would like to take this time to apologize to Secretary Ross and his family. The injuries his daughter sustained at our hands were inexcusable and unforgivable. It is with heavy hearts that we vow …” _

Tony cleared his throat, haunted eyes looking into the camera. 

_ “Y/N Ross will be the final casualty the Avengers will cause.”  
_ _“_ Casualty? No, she … she’s not dead.”

Betty shook her head after the barely whispered words left her lips. 

_ “Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you today to announce the disbanding of the Avengers. We will no longer join together for what we feel are worthy causes.” _

Tony stopped there, clearing his throat and shuffling his notecards. 

_ “The Avengers, as we were so known, are more than willing to do whatever it takes to attempt to make up for the destruction we have caused. We go willingly, full of sorrow and regret, and with everything in me … I sincerely apologize. Thank you, and God bless.” _

As the crowd began buzzing, Betty’s legs gave out and she sank down to the floor, staring up at the television. Her eyes grew wide when her father came on screen. Thaddeus raised his hands, and the crowd quieted. 

_ “We would like to thank Mr. Stark for his cooperation in all of this. The government is prepared to study the guidelines and precedents and to work with other nations involved in the Avengers’ so-called ‘missions’ in order to prosecute to the full extent of the law. This will not be put away quietly. The victims of these careless battles deserve more than that. As a spokesperson for the American people, we will no longer allow the Avengers to tarnish the great legacy this country has. Thank you.” _

Betty lifted a hand to cover her mouth, shaking her head. 

“Oh my god. Oh my god.”  
“Miss Ross?”

Betty glanced over her shoulder, then stood to her feet, turning to face the person standing before her, decked out in medical gear. 

“My sister? How is she?”

The woman gave a quiet sigh. 

“I’m so sorry. I’m afraid I don’t have good news.”


End file.
